Local organizations and college students take part in national movement raising awareness around sexual violence
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – Local organizations partnered with Southeast Missouri State University students for ‘Denim Day’ to raise awareness around sexual violence and provide resources.
“We are bringing awareness to an event that happened in the 1990s where a woman was wearing a pair of jeans and then was unfortunately sexually assaulted” says Appleman. “During that time, the judge ruled that her jeans were so tight that she had to have help to take them off, which then implied consent.”
Kate Appleman is a member of Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau and iota chi a Greek organization of Semo. She’s referring to a 1998 case where an Italian supreme court overturned a rape conviction stating that the women’s jeans were so tight she must have helped him remove them. A national movement called denim day was created where women all over the world became vocal over the meaning of proper consent.
“After that day, people started to come in solidarity to help support her, and they wore jeans to help contest that ruling and later it was changed” says Appleman.
Appleman shares that local organizations like Zonta, Safehouse of Southeast Missouri, Semo-NASV, iota chi, community counseling Center of Semo, and even Semo dining came to discuss alcohol use and mocktail options, all joined in to provide resources and direction on safe consent and sexual violence, additionally Semo NASV and the Safehouse have a denim display up in downtown Cape Girardeau with additional resources, located next to Victoria’s Creamery.
“And so that is a great opportunity to at least go and see what two of our great organizations in the area have put on” says Appleman. “But again, just having and knowing what Denim Day is and also just knowing Sexual Assault Awareness Month and spreading that education is important. So, you can do that every day and not just in April.”
For additional Resources: Home – SEMO NASV
Home – Safe House of Southeast Missouri
